Jeff Conaway, a U.S. actor known for his roles in Grease and Taxi, has died after spending two weeks in a coma following a drug overdose. He was 60.

The actor was taken off life support Thursday and died Friday morning at Encino Tarzana Medical Center in Encino, Calif., according to one of his managers, Kathryn Boole.

In recent years, Conaway had been better known for his struggles with addiction than his acting roles. He had appeared on two seasons of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew Pinsky.

Conaway was found unconscious at his home on May 11 after an apparent overdose of painkillers and had been in a coma ever since.

The New York-born actor rose to fame in the 1970s. In the original run of the 1971 Broadway musical Grease, he was among the actors who portrayed the male lead, Danny Zuko. In the 1978 movie version he lent humour to the role of wise-cracking rebel Kenickie.

He also starred as the struggling actor-turned-cabbie Bobby Wheeler in the TV sitcom Taxi and had a regular role as Sgt. Zack Allan in the 1990s sci-fi series Babylon 5.